For initial registration for nurses and other health professionals with the Australian Health Practitioner Regulation Agency (APRHA), it is a requirement to demonstrate a minimum level of language competency. These are the following ways which are acceptable to APHRA.
- English is your primary language and you have undertaken and satisfactorily completed:
- all of your primary and secondary education which was taught and assessed solely in English in a recognised country*, and
- tertiary qualifications in the relevant professional discipline, which you are relying on to support your eligibility for registration under the National Law, which were taught and assessed solely in English.
OR
- You have a combination of secondary education and tertiary qualifications, where you have undertaken and satisfactorily completed:
- at least two years of your secondary education which was taught and assessed solely in English in a recognised country, and
- tertiary qualifications in the relevant professional discipline, which you are relying on to support your eligibility for registration under the National Law, which were taught and assessed solely in English in a recognised country.
OR
- You have undertaken and satisfactorily completed at least six years’ (full-time equivalent) continuous education taught and assessed solely in English, in any of the recognised countries, which includes tertiary qualifications in the relevant professional discipline which you are relying on to support your eligibility for registration under the National Law.
OR
- You achieve the required minimum scores in one of the following English language tests and meet the requirements for test results specified in this standard:
- IELTS Academic with a minimum overall score of 7 and a minimum score of 7 in each of the four components (listening, reading, writing and speaking).
- OET with a minimum score of B in each of the four components (listening, reading, writing and speaking).
- PTE Academic with a minimum overall score of 65 and a minimum score of 65 in each of the four communicative skills (listening, reading, writing and speaking).
- TOEFL iBT with a minimum total score of 94 and the following minimum score in each section of the test: 24 for listening, 24 for reading, 27 for writing, and 23 for speaking.
NOTE: Test results will only be accepted:
- from one test sitting, or
- a maximum of two test sittings in a six month period, with additional conditions.
* Recognised country means one of the following countries:
Australia, Canada, New Zealand, Republic of Ireland, South Africa, United Kingdom, or United States of America